Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore'
by Julia-Nevermore
Summary: I DON'T OWN THE CHARACTERS, OR THE POEM. One sided RaeRob, RobStar.Rated for explicit violence, implied suicide attempts, and language. COMPLETE
1. A Broken Facade

**Chapter One: A Broken Facade**

_Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,  
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,  
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,  
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.  
'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, tapping at my chamber door -  
Only this, and nothing more.'  
_

__

_Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,  
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.  
Eagerly I wished the morrow; - vainly I had sought to borrow  
From my books surcease of sorrow - sorrow for the lost Lenore -  
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore -  
Nameless here for evermore._

Robin sighed, and shuffled the papers he'd been looking over for the past hour in the solitary quiet of his room. He inhaled deeply, and gagged from the smell wafting throughout the Tower. Starfire had started her 'Pudding of Sadness' yesterday, this one being particularly smelly, and the rancid odor had spread like wildfire. This was one of the reasons Robin couldn't concentrate. The other, also the reason Starfire had made the pudding, was the fact that Raven had disappeared several days ago. Robin walked down the hallway, deep in thought. He passed Raven's door, and remembered the note she'd left there, telling him and the other Titans not to go looking for her. That had been five days ago.

Robin continued down the hallway, the putrid smell strengthening with each step. He was afraid to ask Starfire what vile ingredients she had put into the mass of opaque gelatinous goo. Even Cyborg and Beast Boy had decided to go to the arcade to play videogames. Robin walked out the front door, and went to his favorite place to think; Slade's old hideout.

The decrepit building groaned in the heavy storm wind, the old steel supports settling beneath the weight of the building. Broken glass and bits of metal crunched underfoot, and thick black cables snaked across the floor. Two thunderstorms were colliding overhead.

"R...Robin...?" a cracked voice said from the shadows. The door glowed black, flew off its hinges, and fell to the ground with a loud clang.

"Raven, is that you? Where are you?!" he called, looking around frantically, trying to pierce the inky blackness of the shadows. A familiar figure in a tattered blue cloak stepped out of the shadows. "RAVEN!!" Robin yelled as he ran toward her.

"You should leave. A storm is coming. The others will be looking for you." she said, stopping him in his tracks. Her face was still hidden by her hood, and her voice sounded as though it hadn't been used in days.

"I'm not leaving without you." Raven turned her back to Robin, lightning illuminating her silhouette in sharp contrast with the angry black sky visible through the window. Robin stepped forward, and put a hand on Raven's shoulder. She was shaking.

"Don't touch me." she muttered in a dangerous voice as all the glass in every window simultaneously burst out of the frame, momentarily illuminated by lightning.

"Everyone's worried about you. We all care about you, Raven. We miss you, and need you on the team. Please come back." Two of the old support beams glowed black, and splintered into thousands of metal shards flying in every direction. By reflex, Robin pulled his cloak over himself. He watched in horror as Raven did nothing to protect herself, and the needles and daggers shredded her skin and cloak. She didn't flinch; she seemed ready to die. She turned to face him once again. Blood trickled down her body.

"This is why I won't go back. I refuse to endanger them. I'm far too unstable and dangerous for friends." she said. "I care about you too much to put you at risk..." she whispered. Her eyes widened; she hadn't meant to say that aloud. Robin hadn't heard.

"Tell me what's wrong."

"No." Raven flew through the broken window, and began to walk to the pier, toward the Tower. "I'll know if you follow. Leave me alone." she said as Robin made a move to follow her. She continued walking, leaving a trail of crimson droplets. Robin followed her to the edge of the pier. She seemed determined not to return. "I told you to stop following me. I'm not going back. Go home." she said, keeping her back to him.

"I won't leave without you." Raven took flight. Robin's eyes widened in shock. His friend was in so much pain; she wanted to die, and was running away from him. Robin refused to lose her so easily; he took out a red and yellow ball, and threw it at Raven. He knew it was rash, but the net that exploded out of it proved effective by enveloping her. He tried to pull her out of the sky.

"Azarath Metrion--"

"Raven, STOP!" Robin cut her off, and gave the line a hard yank. Raven fell like a stone from the sky. Robin leapt forward, caught Raven, and rolled with her down the pier. He used his own momentum to land on top of her, pinning her wrists down. He tore the mesh of ropes off her.

"Let me go!" she screamed, twisting beneath him. She didn't use her powers for the risk of everything around them exploding. She would if it had been anyone but Robin on top of her. There was no other way to get him off. Her hood fell back, exposing her ashen face and the pained look upon it. Their faces were so close, their noses were almost touching, their breath mingling with the misty air.

"You have to let someone in, Raven. Let me help."

"There's nothing you can do. There's nothing anyone can do for me."

"Raven, I care about you. Let me help you."

"Don't say that! I don't want to hear that from anyone, especially you! Just stop, Robin. I don't want to hurt you." The moon found a break in the clouds, bathing the two in silvery light. Robin blinked to make sure of what he saw. Raven looked so vulnerable, lying there on the ground."Please, Robin..."

Time seemed to stand still. There, in the violet depths of Raven's eyes, rested something Robin had never seen before. Longing, sorrow, fear, regret, agony...emotions she'd long kept hidden beneath her apathetic facade. Rain started to fall, caressing them in the cool tears of the bruised sky. The clouds began to eclipse the moon once more. In the rapidly fading moonlight, Robin saw something he wanted in her expression, her eyes, something she wanted to give him. Robin closed the small distance between them, pressing his lips against hers. He was overcome by a longing he'd never been aware of. She'd ensnared him, just like that. Or had she all along, and he'd been too distracted to notice?

Tears streaked the dust and dirt on Raven's face as she let out all of her emotion. A wall of water rose around the pier, and rolled away from it. Small buildings shuddered as a great wave of Raven's power shook their foundations with the force of a minor earthquake. She turned her head, breaking the kiss. She looked up at Robin. The pain and joy in her eyes scared him. She went limp, tears falling from her closed eyes. Robin got off her, and looked at her in a state of shock. He picked her up, and walked back to the Tower, his mind and senses numb. What had he done?


	2. Fade Away to Nevermore

Chapter Two: Fade Away to Nevermore

_And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain  
Thrilled me - filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;  
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating  
'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door -  
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door; -  
This it is, and nothing more,'  
_

_Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,  
Sir,' said I, or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;  
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,  
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,  
That I scarce was sure I heard you' - here I opened wide the door; -  
Darkness there, and nothing more.  
_

Robin walked into Titan's Tower, carrying Raven's still form, where Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Starfire were arguing over what to do with the 'Pudding of Sadness'. The stench of this batch had become unbearable, and the boys were trying to convince the Tamarinian girl to throw out the mess in the bowl she currently held. Everything stopped as soon as Starfire set eyes on Robin and Raven, both of them splattered with blood. A small cry escaped her when she saw the ribbon-like cuts crisscrossing Raven's body. "Is that Raven? Dude, what happened?!" Beast Boy rushed over, his eyes growing wide as he saw the angry red gashes all over her broken body.

"Friend Raven!! Robin, what has happened?" Starfire gasped, dropping the bowl of opaque pale yellow-brown goo. Cyborg caught the bowl, and carefully set it on the counter.

"We need to get her to the Med Lab. Those cuts don't look too pretty." Cyborg said, offering to take Raven. It was painful for him to see Raven in this state. She was like a sister to him, and he wouldn't forgive anyone who hurt her. Robin shook his head.

"She needs to wake up in her own environment. She wanted to be left alone." Robin, without another word, carried Raven to her room. He lied her out on her bed, and walked out, closing the cold metal door quietly behind.

Raven opened her eyes as she heard the door close. What had just happened? She tried to remember. Suddenly, everything came back in a rush. The cuts, the explosions, the pain...her emotions...Robin! A vase across the room glowed black, and burst into pieces. So many thoughts, so many feelings were running rampant in Raven's mind. She needed to go to Nevermore, and find out what was doing this to her, why she felt the way she did. The sinister-looking mirror on her dresser, the gateway to Nevermore, glowed black and flew to Raven's hand. She stared into the shiny black depths, and felt the familiar sensation of vertigo. Raven closed her eyes, and when she opened them, she found herself in Nevermore, standing before the first stone gateway. There, a Raven in a yellow cloak and glasses, Intelligence, greeted her. "She's where you left her, but she almost got loose a while ago. She's calmed down a little, but she's getting more desperate. It took Joy, Brave, Timid, and I to keep the door closed." said the yellow-clad girl.

"Why is she doing this to me?"

"ARGH!" Robin had gone straight to the training room, despite how tired he was. He was venting his anger on the punching bag. He kicked the thick leather exterior, leaving a dusty gray footprint. How could he have done that to her? He'd taken advantage of her. He'd assumed that the problem was similar to a mechanical hitch, with a clear solution, but this was something far deeper. The heavy sack of sand swung back on its chain.

He didn't love Raven.

He'd crossed the line with her, broken his own rule. The bag swung back with the impact of Robin's fist. He had been tempted. Raven was so elusive, so hidden. Everything about her screamed of solitude and silence. For the first time, as she had lied there beneath him, her soul had been exposed to him, open for him to explore and criticize as he pleased. And he'd taken advantage of his power over her. He'd been tempted, captivated by her elusive nature. "AGH!" He punched the bag so hard, the chain broke, and the bag flew across the room. Cyborg opened the door, and managed to catch the bag.

"Slow down. I'm the one who has to fix that."

"Sorry." Robin said, sitting down in a nearby chair.

"What's up? Did something happen between you and Raven? How did you get her to come home?"

"Nothing, no, doesn't matter." Robin replied, sighing heavily.

"Wanna talk about it?" Cyborg asked, setting down the bag and walking over to Robin.

"No."

"Well...If you change your mind, I'm here."

"Thanks, but no." Cyborg watched as Robin left the room, his brows furrowed deep in thought. Cyborg hated to see his oldest friend at odds with himself. Something had happened, and it was driving Robin insane.

Raven followed the yellow cloaked version of herself through the various stages of her mind. Joy, the pink cloaked Raven, and Timid, the gray cloaked Raven, accompanied them. Hatred watched with a mirthless smile from the shadows. A dark design was developing in her head, and all that was left were the details of time and place. Intelligence led the three to a heavy iron door in a black marble wall. Dangling from the door's many latches were equally many locks, all of which were unlocked, save for a small golden one, engraved with the word, "Doubt". "When she got stronger, all of the locks unlocked at once. This was the only one that we could lock again." said Intelligence. Raven looked in through a small window in the door at the silver cloaked girl within, who was slumped against the cold black wall, asleep. Her cloak had lost its luster since she'd tried to break out of her prison. Several gashes and sores were visible on the girl's ashen skin, some of them open and festering. She woke up.

"Will you listen to me now? Please, hear me out." said the silver cloaked Raven.

"Who are you?" Raven demanded. "Why are you doing this to me?!"

"I am your Heart. I am your Love. I am dying, because you're keeping me locked away. That boy, Robin... he nearly set me free, but then Joy, Timid, Intelligence, and Brave slammed the door."

"You're the one who's been making all of these things happen to me, the one who's been hurting me? How dare you. I'll rip you out of my chest. Anything to make you shut up."

"All you have to do is admit to yourself that you love him. Set me free. Please... It will make things easier, for all of us."

"I can't afford to let you or any other sides of me surface. Let's go." Raven said, turning her back on Love. Love sighed, and closed her eyes again. Her cloak dimmed ever so slightly as Raven walked away from her heart, leaving her imprisoned. Hatred laughed a cold, hollow laugh from the shadows.

A.N. Hullo all. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Julia-Nevermore, and I am a veteran fic author. I hope you've enjoyed the story so far. Review if you are so inclined. I'll try to update asap.


	3. Echoes of My Silence

Chapter Three: Echoes of My Silence

_Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,  
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before  
But the silence was unbroken, and the darkness gave no token,  
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, Lenore!'  
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, Lenore!'  
Merely this and nothing more.  
_

_Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,  
Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.  
Surely,' said I, surely that is something at my window lattice;  
Let me see then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore -  
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore; -  
'Tis the wind and nothing more!'  
_

Several weeks passed, and Raven hadn't left her room, except when trouble arose. When it did happen, Raven never said a word, only fought and followed orders. She refused to make eye contact with Robin, though she followed his orders. She became ruthless and brutal in battle, and a phantom at home. Sounds of breaking glass, splintering wood, and inexplicable crashes were often heard coming from her room.

Robin, too, had changed. He had become more aloof and bipolar. A few days after he'd brought Raven back to the Tower, Star had asked him if he wanted to go to 'The House of Moving Pictures' with her. Robin had been deep in thought, and hadn't budged from his spot on the couch for an hour or more. Her words jerked him back to reality. "No, Starfire. I'm busy." His words were cold and flat.

"Fine. Continue with your 'work'. I will see if there is someone less 'busy' who will go with me." she had said, hurt evident in her voice. She floated off toward the door to the hallway.

"Star, wait! I'll go with you." he had said just before she left the room. He was smiling at her. She looked confused.

"But you just said--"

"Never mind what I just said. I'd like to go with you."

"Glorious!" she had exclaimed happily, though still a little confused.

Beast Boy began routinely making guesses at what was going on in Robin's head, but only telling Cyborg. Some were attempts at humor, in which cases Cyborg had tried to glare at him, but couldn't suppress a smile. Inside, however, the boys and Starfire were deeply worried about their leader, and their dark friend.

A raven called in the dark. Robin opened his eyes. A dense fog had set in, and he couldn't see two steps ahead. He walked forward cautiously, his footsteps echoing on the cobblestone ground. Somewhere in the twilight, there was a sound of birds taking to their wings. Robin stopped. Someone was sobbing, and he could hear a heartbeat. There was no way to tell where the sounds were coming from, or where he was going. Robin ran forward, straining his eyes to see something that wasn't really there. The sobbing grew louder, more desperate. "Raven!" Robin yelled, more birds taking flight in the prosaic void. The heartbeat grew steadily faster and louder. The sobs became raucous, as though someone were slowly dying. "Raven, where are you?!" Robin was terrified. The heartbeat had tripled in frequency and volume. The sobs had become tortured screams. Robin felt his blood run cold as a final, vital shriek echoed in the translucent gloom. "RAVEN!" All was silent, all was still. The mist parted enough to reveal Raven's flaccid and broken body. Birds took flight around her. He ran forward, and cradled her head. Her eyes flew open, and all was dark.

Robin woke in a cold sweat. "Nightmare..." he muttered to no one in particular. He sat up, and looked over at the clock. 5:06 A.M. Sunrise would begin soon. Robin got out of bed, and walked out of his room. Violet eyes watched as he climbed the stairs to the roof, and vanished around the corner and through their owner's door.

The sky was a deep blue, gray on the horizon. A silver haze hung over the bay. The iridescent drops scattered the first pale rays of the rising sun as it appeared slowly, a huge red orb of flame, burning where the sky and the Earth met. A perfect autumn sunrise. Robin sighed, the gentle breeze sending a shiver up his spine.

Suddenly, a minor earthquake shook the Tower, the epicenter directly underfoot. The shockwave was visible as it spread outward, rolling beneath the surface of the water and earth. Black energy flickered between the telephone poles, creating several steep arcs. "Raven." Robin muttered, running through the door and down the stairs. He ran into Beast Boy and Cyborg in the hallway at the foot of the stairs. The quake had originated in the room around the corner; Raven's room.

"What's going on? Where's Starfire and Raven?" Cyborg asked, sleep still evident in his voice, though he appeared awake.

"Raven caused the quake."

"Dude, Raven did that? Wait... How do you know that?" Beast Boy said, looking toward Raven's room, then back at Robin suspiciously.

"BB's got a good question. How do you know it was her? Last time you were this secretive, you were lying to us." Cyborg looked Robin in the eyes. Behind the mask, there was a secret in Robin's eyes.

"Look, I'll tell you guys later. Right now, we need to find Starfire, and check on Raven." Robin said, dreading the time when he would tell them what had happened between himself and Raven. "Please, trust me now, if never again." There was no lie in his voice.

"Okay, but as soon as everything is figured out, you have to spill what happened between you and Raven." Beast Boy said. Just then, Starfire appeared in the hallway, her room being the next one down from Raven's. She flew down the hallway, passing Raven's door.

"I heard a very loud crash in Raven's room. What is happen--AHH!" she cried out as Raven's door glowed black, and flew off its hinges, slamming into her.

"STARFIRE!!" Robin yelled. The sheet of steel fell to the ground with a loud clang. Starfire slumped against the wall, unconscious. Robin ran to her side, followed by Beast Boy and Cyborg.

"I'll take her to the Med. Lab. You go see what's up with Raven." Cyborg picked up the still form of the Tamarinian girl, and took off toward the Med. Lab.

"What 's Raven's problem?!" Beast Boy yelled after recovering from watching Star knocked senseless. Robin stared into the inky shadows of Raven's room, his fist clenched in self-control.

Robin was mad. Raven had hurt one of their own. Moreover, she had hurt Starfire. Robin might have been able to forgive her if it had been anyone else, even him, but not Star. His own code of honor did not permit him to be closer to anybody than his or her friend, but, several times, he had nearly let his feelings for her show. He loved Starfire, and refused to forgive anyone that hurt her. Even his own teammate. "Beast Boy, I need to talk to Raven alone. Go help Cyborg with Starfire." Beast Boy opened his mouth to argue, but changed his mind when he read the threatening tone in Robin's voice.

"No problem." He then realized that an angry Raven is a dangerous one, and decided that the farther away he was, the safer he was. He took off down the same hallway Cyborg had taken.

Robin walked into Raven's room. It looked as though a bomb had gone

off within its dark confines. A certain sinister looking mirror resting on the

wrecked dresser caught Robin's eye. He started to examine it closer, momentarily abandoning anger for curiosity. The peculiar mirror had a very strange frame, and, despite the devastation reeked upon the room, this object had not a scratch.

"R...Robin... " came Raven's voice from her ruined bed. He rushed over to where she lay. She was unconscious, and she had called out to him in her reverie. He looked her over, and saw that her cuts had disappeared without a trace. Without warning, she seized up, and a wave of power exploded from her body, and rippled outward. The Tower shook, knocking Robin off his feet. The mirror landed nearby, its surface gleaming with a dark purpose. Robin picked up Raven's body, and carried it to the Med. Lab. It was time to unlock the mysterious girl behind the apathetic facade.

A.N. Open your eyes and return to fantasy. Forget not that existance is imaginary.


	4. Of That Lie Thy Soul Hath Spoken

Chapter Four: Of That Lie Thy Soul Hath Spoken

_Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,  
In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore.  
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;  
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door -  
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door -  
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.  
_

_Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,  
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,  
Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,' I said, art sure no craven.  
Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the nightly shore -  
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!'  
Quoth the raven, Nevermore.'_

"I think she'll be okay. Bruised bones are the worst of it." Cyborg sighed, reassuring Beast Boy that Starfire would recover. The two watched over their unconscious friend and teammate with heavy hearts.

"Poor Star. Why did Raven do that?! I thought she was one of us! What is the deal with her?!" Beast Boy said, glaring at the tile floor.

"I thought so, too, BB. We trusted her." Cyborg replied. Raven had become like a sister to him, talking with him, helping him fix his car. She had always been so calm, so collected. As far as he knew. Maybe this was the way she had always been; brutal to friend and foe alike, cold and manipulative. Cyborg shuddered at the thought, and shook his head, trying to clear his mind. The Raven they all knew and loved wouldn't purposely hurt someone like that.

Meanwhile, Beast Boy was lost in his own thoughts. He had finally started to get along with Raven, started to really trust her. But now, with the current incidents, he wasn't so sure if his trust was well placed. He missed the way things were, Raven reading her book in the usual spot on the couch, Robin returning to being the fearless leader/ sore loser, Starfire being clueless, Cyborg constantly trying to beat his high scores. He even missed the occasional villain, trying to spoil their fun. Beast boy was given a rude awakening from his reveries when Robin kicked open the door, carrying a very lifeless-looking Raven.

Cyborg rushed to ready his equipment while Robin laid the demonic girl out on an empty examining table next to Starfire's. As Cyborg began hooking up various equipment to Raven, the multiple monitors attached to Starfire began to beep and wake up. Star opened her eyes, and said,"Where am I? What happened? Raven." she glared at the girl beside her, her eyes glowing green.

"No, Star. Stop. She didn't mean to hurt you. She's having problems controlling her energy. That's what that earthquake was this morning." Robin said, collapsing in a nearby chair. Star looked over at him, the angry expression leaving her face, her eyes returning to normal.

"I do not understand, Robin. All is not well with Friend Raven?"

"No, but everything should be soon."

Cyborg's red eye began to glow, scanning Raven's body for any immediate injuries. He picked up tiny shards of metal embedded in her skin from the splintered support beam. However, the wounds seemed to have closed entirely, not even leaving a scar. Other than this puzzling observation, he found nothing physically wrong with her other than her comatose state. "There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with her, but I'm going to run a few more tests."

"Maybe it's not something wrong on the outside..." said Beast Boy, thinking aloud.

"What?" Robin said, overhearing the young Changeling's musings.

"Well, a while ago, when Cy and I were looking for Raven, we checked out her room, and found this really weird mirror thingy." The image of the forbidding-looking mirror flashed through Robin's mind. "We looked at it, and ended up falling through this portal, and suddenly we were in a place we thought Raven came from. Then, we met all these different Ravens with different personalities in a bunch of different colored cloaks. Then, they told us that we were in her mind, not her home."

"She said that the mirror was a portal into a physical representation of her mind. A few minutes later, we battled this huge guy named Trigon, her father. After we defeated him, with the help of Raven's other personalities, we found out that Trigon was actually a facet of herself, Hatred. This version was wearing a red cloak, and had four eyes. This might be the same thing, happening all over again." Cyborg explained, taking over from where Beast Boy left off. "BB, go get the mirror. You're going to have to go and see what's going on."

"Are you kidding?! No way am I going back there. Once was enough. Why don't you go?"

"You know just as well as I do that I have to stay here and operate the equipment. You're the only one who knows where to go and how to get back."

"I'll go." said Robin, startling both of the other two. "I'm the one that caused this, so I'll fix it."

"But Robin, surely you are joking. You might get hurt." Starfire said, a worried tone in her voice.

"I know, but you DID get hurt, and I won't risk that happening again. I have to put a stop to this, and this is the only way I know how. Trust me, Star, this is not the way I wanted to do this." he said, looking over at Raven's scarcely breathing form.

"Wait...how is all this your fault? Tell us what's going on." Beast Boy demanded, Cyborg nodding in agreement.

"I'll tell you when I get back. There isn't time now. Please, believe me."

"Okay, but give us your word that you'll explain." Cyborg said, speaking for everyone.

"You have my word. Now, what do I do when I get into Raven's mind?" Cyborg and Beast Boy explained the gates and the guides to Robin. They also warned him about Hatred, the red-cloaked Raven, and her immense strength.

Robin sighed, and picked up the mirror. He gave a last glance at Cyborg and Beast Boy, and a final eye message to Starfire. A worried expression crossed the delicate features of her face as she understood. He threw one more glance over at the table where Raven lay unconscious, and looked into the depths of the mirror. Nothing happened. Robin was about to wonder if something was wrong, but the train of thought was interrupted by the alien sensation of sudden lightheadedness. Robin felt himself spiraling in a black vortex. He blacked out.

Robin woke up in a strange land with a black sky lit by crimson stars. He was looking around when a Raven in a yellow cloak and glasses startled him by saying, "You shouldn't be in Nevermore. Go back."

"I need to see Raven. I insist."

"Are you sure? She's not feeling her best right now."

"I'm sure."

"Then go through that gate. Joy will tell you where to go from there." Intelligence said, turning the page of her book. Robin turned, and walked toward the stone archway. "I'd be careful, though. Tread lightly; we've all learned to hate you." she called after him. He turned around to ask what she meant, but she was gone.


	5. Darkness There, and Nothing More

Chapter Five: Here I Opened Wide the Door; Darkness There, and Nothing More

_Much I marveled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,_

_Though its answer little meaning - little relevancy bore;  
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being  
Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door -  
Bird or beast above the sculptured bust above his chamber door,  
With such name as Nevermore.'  
_

_But the raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only,  
That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.  
Nothing further then he uttered - not a feather then he fluttered -  
Till I scarcely more than muttered Other friends have flown before -  
On the morrow will he leave me, as my hopes have flown before.'  
Then the bird said, Nevermore.'  
_

Robin walked toward the gate, apprehension growing in his mind. What had Intelligence meant by "We've all learned to hate you." ? He was distracted, however, by the dramatic change in his surroundings. After he had passed under the great stone arch, he had entered what was once the "Happy" region of Raven's mind. Something was seriously wrong, however. The sky was overcast, and the numerous wildflowers scattered everywhere were wilting. The trees were losing their leaves as a chill wind blew A Raven in a torn and tattered pink cloak skipped up to him, smiling. "Hi! You must be Robin!"

"Um, yeah. You're Joy, aren't you?"

"Yep! How did you guess?"

"I've heard about you."

"Yeah? Anywho, welcome to Nevermore!"

"Thanks. Have you seen Raven?"

"Oh, you mean the blue cloaked person that looks just like me that never lets me have any fun?"

"I guess...?"

"She went to go talk to one of the others. Tell Timid that you want to go Elsewhere, okay? If you go out that way, you'll find Timid. Come on, I'll show you!" Joy said, skipping ahead. "Hurry up! You'll never get there if you don't start!" Robin followed, a little confused, and a little weirded out by seeing a happy Raven dressed in pink. After a little while, they came to a second stone archway. "Here we are!"

"Thanks." Robin walked toward the gate.

"One last question. Do you know why my flowers are dying and the sun is hiding?"

"I'm sorry...?"

"You. I expect you to fix this. Have a good day!! Remember to tell Timid to take you Elsewhere! Bye bye!" Joy said, and skipped off. Robin shook his head, and walked through the next arch.

He found himself in an area similar to the first one he'd seen when he arrived. The same crimson stars twinkled in the black void overhead. It could've almost been pretty, if it hadn't been for the guilt playing on Robin's mind and heart. He began to get lost in his own thoughts, and nearly jumped out of his skin when walls of a giant maze sprung out of the ground before him. He stepped backwards, and bumped into Timid, the gray-cloaked Raven.

"Sorry." both said at the same time.

"No, that was my fault. You still like me, don't you?"

"Of course. You must be Timid."

"Have you heard bad things about me?"

"No. Now, Joy said to ask you to take me Elsewhere."

"Not through the maze?"

"I don't know. I'm supposed to go Elsewhere."

"Okay...but you won't like me anymore." she mumbled, looking even more downcast. She sighed, and said, "Follow me. I'm sorry for not taking you here sooner."

"It's okay, really." Robin said, following her. They walked through a secret passage in the nearby rocks.

"This just appeared a few days ago. We're not entirely sure what this place is, but I feel even worse when I go in here." Timid said quietly, walking though a small stone archway, similar to the others. Robin trails behind, growing slightly impatient with his guide's sorrow. Robin gasped at the world he had just stepped into.

A raven called out in the depths of the thick blanket of fog. "No. It can't be."

"I told you you wouldn't like me after this." said Timid, a sob welling up in her voice. She turned, and walked away. As she walked, her footsteps echoed in the eerie miasma. There was a sound of birds taking flight.

Robin ran forward, his eyes practically useless as they strained to pierce through the murk. The sobbing began, followed shortly by the dreaded heartbeat. Robin kept running, and yelled, "RAVEN!!" More birds took to their wings. His heart was racing, throbbing in his chest. "RAVEN!!" His voice grew hoarse. The sobbing became earsplitting shrieks, and Robin could feel the heartbeat in his chest, it was so loud and so low. He knew what came next, and he hated the fact that this was all his fault. There, lying on the cobblestones, was Raven's lifeless body, dressed in a dress that matched her ashen skin. The last echoes of that final shriek still lingered as Robin ran to her side.

There were still tears on her face Robin discovered as he drew closer. Her body was cold, but light as a feather. He cradled her head, looking at her face, a perfect mask of death. Suddenly, her eyes flew open, glowing with black energy. Robin found he couldn't look away from the ruined eyes of his friend. The sensation of vertigo seized the Boy Wonder once more, and he was drawn in by the black energy.

Robin found himself in a barren, nearly featureless wasteland with a bruised sky and crimson rivers stretching across the plain. All of the rivers seemed to originate from one place, at the base of a monolith looming in the distance. Several figures appeared to be chained to the monolith, suspended by black energy. Robin ran to the monolith, alongside one of the scarlet brooks rolling away from it. He finally reached the outcropping, unprepared for the horror he witnessed.

Chained to the monolith by their own black energy were all the facets of Raven's personality, all unconscious, save for one. Hatred. Jumping across the many veins fanning out from it, Robin ran around the rocky projection, looking among the rainbow of ragged and torn cloaks for the cobalt-cloaked Raven, and for Hatred. She was there, atop the rock, laughing at him. Her bloodred cloak matched her four glowing eyes under the hood. There was a second figure atop the monolith, clad in a lead-colored cloak. This one was covered in angry red scores, and slumped against a smaller outcropping on top of the larger one. She was chained by her own energy, as well as an iron chain, with a golden lock labeled 'Doubt'. Chained by the same iron and black energy, on the other side of the stone column, was the blue-cloaked Raven, also covered in wounds and unconscious.

Hatred laughed again, and said, "What's wrong? Are you sad because she's dying? Is that it? Why don't you try to rescue her? Too scared?" She grinned a mirthless grin, and gestured for him to join her atop the rock. Robin leapt up the sheer wall with a few well-timed jumps, and landed in front of Hatred.

"Let them all go."

"But it wasn't me who imprisoned them in the first place. I recall it being Raven who imprisoned herself. Do you want to know why?" Hatred said with a smirk.

"Don't listen to her." Raven had awoken.

"She did this to herself because she loves you."

"NO!" Raven shrieked. The once-silver-cloaked Raven woke, and cried out when Raven denied her. She jerked as a new gash opened across her midsection. Robin looked over at Raven. There were tears welling up in her eyes, her face contorted with pain and anger.

Hatred glared at Robin, and shot a black arrow out of her palm. It grazed his shoulder, burning and freezing at the same time. The pain spread throughout his body, paralyzing him. Robin threw several of his freezing discs at her while he still could. Her eyes widened, and suddenly she was imprisoned in a crystal of ice. Robin regained his ability to move, and ran to the rocky pillar.

The girl cloaked in lead looked up at him, and smiled a sad smile. "You're Robin, aren't you? I've heard so much about you. Do you think you could set me free?"

"Who are you?"

"I am Raven's heart. I am dying."


	6. Fantastic Terrors Never Felt Before

Chapter Six: Fantastic Terrors Never Felt Before

_Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,  
Doubtless,' said I, what it utters is its only stock and store,  
Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful disaster  
Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore -  
Till the dirges of his hope that melancholy burden bore  
Of "Never-nevermore."'  
_

_  
But the raven still beguiling all my sad soul into smiling,  
Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird and bust and door;  
Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking  
Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore -  
What this grim, ungainly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore  
Meant in croaking Nevermore.'  
_

Hatred burst out of her icy prison, scattering razor-sharp shards in every direction. Robin covered himself and the two Ravens with his cloak, shielding them from the attack. "You tormented me for the last time, Boy Wonder. I am so sick of you leading me on and dropping me like a sack of shit. What am I to you?!" she growled, flinging more dark arrows at him. He skillfully dodged the barrage of arrows, and threw a bird-a-rang at the demonic entity. It flew right through her, and out of sight. "Stupid boy, physical attacks won't work on me. You're in my world." she smirked. Suddenly, Robin's clothes glowed black, and started to crush his body. He could feel his bones grinding together as the black aura turned into a tentacle, dragging him toward the red-eyed monster of Raven's anger. Darkness began encroaching on his vision as the little air left in his lungs was pushed out of him, but just for a moment, he saw a faint golden glow above Hatred's chest. He struggled, and managed to get one arm free of the dark girl's vice-like grip. He was close enough now to touch her. Before Hatred could react, Robin plunged his hand into the golden glow. Hatred shrieked in agony as his hand closed around something cold and hard. With his last remaining strength, Robin pulled out the object, covered in the warm crimson life of Hatred. The tentacle dropped him, and vanished under her cloak. Hatred wrapped her arms around herself, blood flowing freely from the area where her heart should be. She crumpled and fell to the ground, tears streaming down her face. "Why do you steal my heart? Why do you have to break it?" she murmured, vanishing.

Robin sighed a painful sigh as he watched Raven's anger fade away. He managed to prop himself up on the pillar the other two Ravens were bound to. Resting in his hand was a glass heart, a tiny golden key visible inside. Now he knew what she meant by "Why do you have to break it?". The only way to free Raven was to break her heart. Raven moaned in pain, and Robin, to his horror, found that she and all of the other Ravens were bleeding profusely from where their hearts should have been. "Robin...Hurry, please. I can't last much longer, and if I die, you'll die too." Raven muttered, anguish evident in her voice. Love coughed, and blood dribbled down her chin.

"Robin, kill me, break me please. Destroy me, so that you all might live. Just crush me. I'm in the palm of your hand. Break me, and set us all free." Love muttered weakly, smiling a smile of sorrow up at Robin. "I won't be gone forever, but I will be in pain for a very long time. I won't leave right away either." Raven looked behind her at Love, and, though she would never admit it, decided she liked her new emotion, and smiled at her.

"But....what will this do to you, Raven?"

"You don't need to worry about me. I'll be okay."

Robin took a deep breath, and crushed the fragile glass heart in the palm of his hand. Every facet of Raven's personality screamed as the glass shattered. Left in Robin's open hand was the tiny golden key. He pushed the key into the tiny golden lock labeled "Doubt", and tried to turn it. It wouldn't budge.

Something had gone horribly wrong. Raven was dying. He had crushed her heart for this; the wrong key to setting her free.

A.N. Hullo all. This will be the last part for a bit, until I can finish writing these final three chapters. I'll try to update as often as possible, but no guarantees on when that'll be. Three chapters left, and so much more to say! Sorry for the shortness, but this seemed to be a convenient place to stop. Anywho, LATER PEOPLES!

Julia-Nevermore


	7. I Can Stop the Pain If I Will It All Awa...

Chapter Seven: I Can Stop the Pain If I Will It All Away

_This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing  
To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom's core;  
This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining  
On the cushion's velvet violet lining that the lamp-light gloated o'er,  
But whose velvet violet lining with the lamp-light gloating o'er,  
She shall press, ah, nevermore!  
  
Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer  
Swung by Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor.  
Wretch,' I cried, thy God hath lent thee - by these angels he has sent thee  
Respite - respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore!  
Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe, and forget this lost Lenore!'  
Quoth the raven, Nevermore.'_

Hatred smiled from her place in the shadows of Raven's mind. Her plan had worked perfectly. Robin had torn out her doppelganger's heart, and hurt Raven as well. Now, all that was left was to get rid of Boy Wonder. That bastard had hurt her for the last time, though she owed him for setting her free. She teleported to the gate of the realm, and muttered her magic under her breath. A second stone archway rose out of the ground, directly in front of the first. Robin would go through here, instead of through the first one. There, he would see. A shark like grin crossed Hatred's face, red eyes glowing with a dark purpose rising within. Nevermore hadn't seen this much fun since Hatred had been born, a result of her father's impact. Love was the oldest, so that would mean she'd be the first to go. It only made sense. Hatred smiled, and stepped through the newly created portal. There, she began using the mechanics and pieces of Raven's dreams and nightmares to create a realm for her own sinister purpose.

Back in the Titan's dimension, Cyborg was still watching the bleeps on the numerous monitors. Beast Boy and Starfire had gone to bed, though Star still came in ever hour or so to check on the dark girl. Cyborg had begun to worry about both Raven and Robin. His body had been left behind when he had gone to Nevermore, and he had been in a coma since. The mirror lay on a table between the two bodies, and flashed occasionally. When this happened, the lights flickered, and Cyborg was jerked from his reveries.

What was going on between Raven and Robin? Why were they both being so secretive? He shook his head. Suddenly, the mirror began to glow. Cyborg glanced over, somewhat accustomed to the thing illuminating the room momentarily. The mirror's glow turned harsher, and four red eyes opened on its surface. Cyborg looked up again as the mirror began to float off the table, and tremble in midair. It flew out of the room, faster than Cyborg could comprehend. He got up, and, as he did so, the room began to spin. He fell to the ground, his batteries dead.

The mirror appeared in Starfire's room, and floated over to her bed. She sat up, and flung several green orbs of energy at the mirror, screaming as it came closer. She felt a sudden sensation of vertigo, as the room began to spin in the half-darkness. Her scream was cut off as her translucent soul vanished into the obsidian surface of the mirror.

"Raven...I..."

"Robin, I can still last for a few hours. Please, find a way to get me out of here." Raven winced in pain. Love hadn't moved in a while, and her breathing had begun to rasp in her chest.

"But I shouldn't leave. What if something happens to you?"

"What can happen to me now? You've destroyed Hatred. There's nothing else here that will hurt me."

"Okay. I'll be back soon." Robin turned his back to the ailing demon, and leapt off the side of the monolith. At the base of the rock, he was relieved to find all of the other Ravens free of the black energy, and waking slowly. Some moaned or cursed in pain, and a few tried to get up. Robin ran away from them, in the direction he had come from. His plan was to return to the other realms of Raven's mind, and maybe to the real world, in order to find a way to set her free. The crimson rivers had quit surging, and had drained enough to become simple fissures in the rain-starved terrain. Robin hardly noticed, however, because the gate had come into sight. He sped up as he neared the arch, and disappeared through the gate.

He found himself in the area he had been in before, crimson stars gleaming like rubies in the void overhead. Robin walked forward, and saw something dart from behind a rock to another out of the corner of his eye. He turned to face the shadow-clad figure, who stepped from the shadows, revealing herself to be--"Raven?!"

"Yes Robin. I got out. Everything will be fine."

"Raven...there's something different about you. What happened to you?"

"Since when do you care?" Raven muttered, the edge in her voice sharper than a knife. She closed her eyes, and four red ones opened.

"What?! But I--"

"No Robin. You didn't destroy me. If anyone, you hurt Raven. Why are you always doing that?" Hatred laughed, her cloak returning to its original bloodred hue.

"What do you mean?" Robin pulled the remainder of his arsenal of freezing discs, ready to throw them at a moment's notice.

"Well, you've made her cry countless times, you know. You should've seen her. All those time's she's gone to 'meditate', she went to her room, or came here, and cried like a little baby. Sometimes, I paid her little visits, you know, those explosions? I was telling her how horrible she was, and how perfect you were. She just died when she realized you were everything she wasn't, and that you were beyond her reach. Every time you complemented her, she tried to keep from crying. Oh, Timid was just having the worst time imaginable. She couldn't figure you out. Here, let me show you what you did to her." A shark like grin spread across Hatred's face as she lunged forward, caught Robin's cape, and flew to a fissure yawning between the rocks. She dropped him into the rocky chasm, and flew after him, laughing as she and Robin hurdled toward the ground. Robin tried to deploy his grappling hook, but the red and yellow hook just bounced off the sheer black walls. Hatred caught him just as he was about to hit the bottom. She glided over to an outcropping in the wall, and chained Robin there with her own dark energy. Hanging by his arms, Robin was helpless against the demon of Raven's wrath. "Now, I'll let you see what you've done to her." Hatred laughed, and Robin felt the icy sting of her breath on his cheek. Hatred put a hand on the back of his head, and kissed him. He screamed and writhed as he witnessed the horrors Raven had suffered.

A.N. Hullo all. Thanks Dark Weezing and Raven Princess of Azerath for the reviews! You don't know how much better I feel, now that I know that SOMEONE out there appreciates my work. There will be at least two more chapters, and perhaps I will undertake the sequel idea. I'll try to keep you people posted with new chapters. WOOT!!! I hope you enjoy the remainder of the story. Please review me and tell me if this chapter doesn't fit, because, as I was writing it, I had my doubts. Thanks again!

Julia-Nevermore


	8. This Ebony Bird Beguiling

Chapter Eight: This Ebony Bird Beguiling...

_Prophet!' said I, thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil! -  
Whether tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,  
Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted -  
On this home by horror haunted - tell me truly, I implore -  
Is there - is there balm in Gilead? - tell me - tell me, I implore!'  
Quoth the raven, Nevermore.'  
  
Prophet!' said I, thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil!  
By that Heaven that bends above us - by that God we both adore -  
Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,  
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels named Lenore -  
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden, whom the angels named Lenore?'  
Quoth the raven, Nevermore.'_

Robin opened his eyes. Everything was out of focus. He found himself unable to look away from the sight before him. Raven was huddled on her bed, shivering. Her cloak lay discarded on the floor, ragged and torn. "This was after you brought her back. Here, why don't you take a closer look, Robin dear? You'll love what she's doing to herself." Hatred's voice echoed from everywhere at once. His view changed to one facing her. Raven's eyes were closed, and she was dragging a six-inch knife through her flesh on her wrist, each time spilling a single drop of blood before the cut disappeared.

"Robin...Why...? Why do you do these things to me? Why do you make me hate you?" He tried to touch her shoulder, but his hand passed through her.

"You can't touch her or talk to her. This is but a recording of a memory. Too bad. Maybe you could've stopped her." Hatred's voice laughed. Raven continued to hurt herself, cutting deeper each time. She sighed, and stopped momentarily. She dropped the knife, and walked to her closet. There, she pulled out a sizeable length of rope, stepped on top of a small step stool and threw one end over a rail in the top of her closet, and tied it there. Then, she tied the other end into a noose, thirteen knots adorning it. She slipped the thing over her head, and tightened it. She took a breath, closed her eyes, and kicked the stool out from underneath her.

"RAVEN, NO!" Robin cried out as she began to hang limply, her head lolling to one side, then another. He ran forward, and tried to cut her down. Before he could get to her, the mirror in the memory began to glow, and a translucent image of Raven floated out of it, picked up the knife, and cut her down. Then, the specter disappeared back into the depths of the mirror, and Raven lay unconscious in her closet. He ran to her side, and tried to brush a violet lock of hair out of her face. Bruises became visible around her neck momentarily, but disappeared. Raven's eyes opened, and she looked up at Robin, glared, and lashed out at him. Her hand went through him. Everything started to blur, and Robin found himself in another memory.

He found himself in Raven's room once more, though the interior looked as though a bomb had gone off. Raven sat on her ruined bed, her knife floating before her. Her eyes were closed. "Robin... Why do you keep leading me on? Why?" Suddenly, her eyes flew open, and the knife flew forward into her chest. Robin felt his heart stop. It was submerged two of its six inches into her chest. A small tear fell from her eye, but there was no other outward sign of emotion. She raised a trembling hand to push the knife farther into her. Another inch. She pulled out the blade, blood running down the handle. The blood threatened to fall on her bed. Suddenly, it glowed black, and the droplets expanded and flattened into a black-rimmed crimson mirror. There, Raven saw another tear fall down her own face. The mirror warped into a picture of Robin as he slept. "Why do you have to be so perfect? Why can't I be like you? Do you know why I love you? Because you're everything I'm not." she murmured quietly to no one in particular. "You're everything I want to be. That's why I love you, Robin. I can't live without you. That's also why I hate you, and can't bear to look at you anymore." She rose from her bed, and floated to her window, leaving a trail of bloody memory and regret as she moved. She turned to her window, and pulled aside a black curtain, revealing a beautiful sunrise. Everything began to blur again.

Robin found himself in the rocky chasm once more as Hatred released him from her terrifying embrace. "Have you had enough, Boy Wonder? Do you see what you've put me through?" she said in a threatening tone. She slapped him, the sound reverberating off the stone. "Oh, wait. I forgot to mention we have a guest. Perhaps you know her?" she laughed a hollow laugh as, with a wave of her hand, a mangled body floated out of the gloom. The figure's long red hair billowed softly as her head lolled lazily on her broken shoulders. The violet of her outfit was stained dark red by the blood flowing freely from numerous gashes in her nearly lifeless body.

"STARFIRE!! Raven, what have you done to her?!"

"Something I've always wanted to do. What, is something wrong? Do you hate me for what I've done? Go on, say it. I want you to tell me just how much you hate me. Do you want her back? Keep her; I'm done with that wench!" Hatred flung Starfire's body at Robin, who was powerless to catch her; he was still bound to the sheer obsidian wall. Her body slammed against the wall, and there was the sickening crunch of bones breaking as her back and ribs collided with the stone. She fell to the ground on her side, blood trickling from her mouth.

"Robin..." she murmured, her red hair spilling over her scarcely breathing form, mingling with the pool of blood forming around her. Her green eyes, barely open, showed love beyond anything he'd seen before as her pupils contracted as she neared death.

"Starfire... Raven, let me go! She's dying!"

"I know. Isn't it lovely how her eyes look as they glaze over? How her face relaxes as she feels death's icy breath against her cheek?"

"I hate you Raven!!! Do you hear me?! I FUCKING HATE YOU, YOU BITCH! I hate you with all of my heart and soul!!" Robin cried with a sob. Somewhere in Nevermore, a lock engraved with 'Doubt' clicked open, and twin dragon like birds of black energy burst out of their bondage, and soared toward the gate. They slammed through the entrance, and plummeted into the fissure, spilling tears as they fell. They were followed by many other identical ravens, all of their red eyes blazing with fury. All of them splashed into the bottom of the chasm, and rose into a Raven cloaked in pure sunbeams, her cloak scattering bright beams in every direction. The light enveloped Hatred, Robin, and Starfire in dazzling glory as Raven's heart was set free, and all of her emotions united into a single purpose. Blinded by light a thousand times brighter than the sun, all that Robin could hear was a tortured, strangled scream as Hatred was dragged into the golden incarnation of Raven. Robin felt himself fall into vertigo. Suddenly, everything went black. When he woke, he saw Raven, cloaked in gold-rimmed azure, watching over him, the tears in her eyes contradicting and complimenting her expression at the same time. "Raven..."

A.N. Whoa.......dramatic action!! MWAHAH! Oh, joy, only one more chapter left to write with this one. Then, I will begin work on a sequel, if enough people want me to write one. Tell me if you want one ASAP, so I can find time to begin. Feel free to submit ideas-if I use them, I will give credit where credit is due. I think I may have a story, but, I don't know, its still up in the air. Tell me what you think about the climax chappie, and take care!! My heart goes out to all of you who review!

Julia-Nevermore


	9. All My Soul Within Me Burning

Chapter Nine: All My Soul Within Me Burning

_'Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!' I shrieked upstarting-_

_'Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore!_

_Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!_

_Leave my loneliness unbroken!-quit the bust above my door!_

_Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!'_

_Quoth the raven, 'Nevermore.'_

_And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting_

_On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;_

_And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,_

_And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;_

_And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor_

_Shall be lifted - nevermore!_

Robin found himself staring into the violet pools of Raven's eyes. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. You saved me, even after what I did to you and Starfire. I should be the one apologizing."

"But, Raven... I can't love you. I'm sorry."

"I know. Starfire needs you more than I. YOu BELONG with her." Raven said, the old ache still in her heart, the old sorrow still in her eyes. Suddenly, it all disappeared; Robin had finally gotten her to stop loving him. She looked away, unsure of how to feel. "What do you say we get out of here?"

"Okay... Wait. Where's Starfire?!"

"She was sent back. All she will remember is waking up from a really bad dream." Raven sighed. The twinge of jealousy she usually felt whenever Robin spoke of the alien girl was gone. Robin got up, and nodded in answer to her previous question.

"I'm ready to get back to Titan's Tower. Lead the way." Raven got up, and walked toward a single gateway, glowing with the pale aura of a blue moon. As he walked, Robin noticed a rather drastic change in his surroundings; beneath the ruby-strewn velvet of the void overhead, all of the facets of Raven's personaltiy had fused and melted into one plane of existance, and the various peronalities could be seen, roaming the newly-formed world.

Raven looked back at Robin once they reached the smooth arc of lunar beauty. The gold edges of her cloak sparkled, and the azure fabric reflected the light in such a way as to mimick the ocean's warped mirror of the night sky. Her eyes, shining as they watched him from beneath the dazzling golden edge of her hood, seemed to emit a violet aura all their own. Robin found himself tracing every feature of her body with his eyes, every gentle curve, every highlight the soft moonglow made on her ashen skin. She was beautiful.

...Beautiful? Robin mentally slapped himself. Raven turned, and stepped through the portal. Robin followed, and found himself in the Med. Lab. of Titan's Tower.

"Welcome back, dude!" Beast Boy yelled, grinning.

"Yes, welcome! We were wondering if you would ever be returning!" Starfire bubbled, squeezing the air out of Boy Wonder with one of her bear hugs. Robin smiled. It was good to be back. It was great to be in her arms. He let his mind wander for a split second to what it would be like to be in Raven's arms in this manner. Robin caught himself, and tried to return to reality, but the things he and Raven had gone through still lingered in his mind.

"Aww, very nice! I say we celebrate with waffles. Rae, what do you think? Soud a'ight with you? ...Rae?" said Cyborg, his grin fading a little as he realized the dark girl had vanished. 'Probably went to her room. She must be exhausted. I better leave her alone.' he decided, against his better judgement. He and the others began to make their way to the kitchen. As they walked down the hall, Beast Boy felt as though something was missing. It hit him as he passed Raven's door with the others.

Beast Boy felt a pang of guilt in the pit of his stomach. Robin wasn't the only one whose life had been in danger. He lingered in front of Raven's door as the others continued down the hallway. Against his better judgement, he knocked on her door. "Raven, are you okay?" he asked uneasily. He was about to leave when a very disdraught Raven answered her door. "Wanna talk about it?" All she could do was nod. He walked in, and found himself in Raven's arms as she sobbed into his shoulder.

A few hours later, after the two other Titans had bid him goodnight (he had awoken at around two or three), Robin walked down the hall to his room. Raven was still on his mind, as she had been all night. He paused outside her door, and debated knocking. He realized he would probably make things worse, and decided against it. He continued on to his room, at the end of the hallway. As he was about to close the door, Robin saw Beast Boy walk out of the dark girl's room, followed shortly by Raven herself. "Thanks Beast Boy. No one's ever listened to me like that before. You're a true friend."

"No prob. Just let me know if there's ever something you wanna, you know, talk about." Robin felt his blood boil with envy as she hugged him. After a moment, she released him from the embrace, turned, and retreated into the shadows of her room. Beast Boy smiled, thought to himself for a moment, and continued down the hall, his back to Robin's door.

Robin was well aware that he shouldn't have been watching, that it was none of his business. He couldn't stop the inexplicable anger rising in his throat, burning like bile. He had no right to be angry. He had no right to feel the way he did for her---feelings?! "I won't let this happen." Robin muttered to no one, shutting his door.

A.N. Hullo all. Finished!!! YAY! Well, I hope you like. I'ma start on a sequel now, okays? Also, I should have a new story soon. Look for it. I think I'll call it Silent Witness. Take care, all!

Julia-Nevermore


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